Eduard gradlmlller



No. 626,535. Patented lune 6, |899. E. GHADLMILLER.

CYCLE HANGER.

(Application man may 4, 189s.) N 0 l'll 0 d el UNITED D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDUARD GRADLMILLER, OF LEOBEN, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

CYCLE-HANG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,535, dated J une 6, 1899. Application ned May 4. 1898. senti no. 679,725. (No man.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, EDUARD GRADLMIL LER, a subject of the Emperor of Austria- Hungary, residing in the city of Leoben, in the Province of Styria, in the Empire of Austria-H un gary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cycle-Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cycle -hangers;

and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, effective,and inexpensive removable hanger for cycles for use in railway-cars or storage-rooms, whereby the cycles are Supa ported in such a manner as to occupy a small amount' of ioor-space and at the same time afford access to each individual cycle, so that one or more may be removed without disturbance of the others, and which hanger may itself be removed readily when it is desired to use the space for other purposes.

W'hile the invention has particular reference to bicycles of the usual construction, it may be used for the support of other cycles.

The invention consists in the combination, with the wall of a car or other suitable support, of upper and lower hooks applied thereto anda cycle-hanger supported in upright position on and removable from said hooks, said hanger consisting of upright retainingbars adapted to receive portions of the cycle, brackets extending from said bars and en gaging said hooks, and a holder pivoted to one of said brackets and adapted to receive a wheel of the cycle; and the invention consists, further, in certain details of construction and combinations of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and finally pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved cycle-hanger, showinga cycle supported in the same. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hanger. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same, and Figs. 4 and 5 show the locking device attached to the hanger for preventing the unauthorized removal of the cycle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, a a represent two vertical retaining-bars arranged parallel to each other at sui'iicient distance apart to permit the insertion of acycle-Wheel between them and supported at a suitable distance from the wall c by bracket-arms b (l, which are supported on and removable from hooks p, permanentlyapplied to the wall. y To each of the bracket-arms b is pivoted by the pin g at a short distance back from the retaining-bar a forwardly-extending arm h, curved at its outer portion and connected at its outer end by a cross-piece with the opposite arm and forming with the same and the crosspiece a movable holder. It' the bars ct a are `located at the inner side of the bracket-arms b, the arms 7L are recessed, as shown in Fig. 2,and the holder is prevented from falling below a horizontal position. If the upper ends of the bars a a are mortised in the bracketarms or are at the outside of the same, the

recesses in the arms are not required and the holder may freely be swung above or below the bracket-arms and between the bars a a, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that when the hanger is not in use the holder is retained by gravity either above or below the bracket-arms.

To use the device, the holder is first raised from horizontal or lowered position into upright position against the wall. The 4front wheel of the cycle is then raised from the floor until it is directly above the rear wheel. In this position the cycle is wheeled on its rear wheel into the hanger, the rear wheel entering betweenv the bars a c and the bracketarms d and the front wheel between the bars a a and the bracket-arms b. The holder is now lowered and falls into horizontal position, so that its cross-piece is below the horizontal plane of the axle of the front wheel, or, if not checked by the upper ends of the bars a a, it may fall until the cross-piece rests upon the front fork of the cycle. The cycle may now be released by the attendant and will be supported in the hanger in the position shown in Fig. 1. The holder is made of such length that the front or upper portion of the cycle falls slightly forward away from the wall, `thus overcoming any tendency of the rear wheel to roll from its position against the wall between the bars a a. The retaining-bars prevent the turning of the front wheel in the head of the cycle, and itis IDO thus held rigidly and without danger of collapse. 4 r

In case the style of vhanger shown in Fig.

I 2 is used the cycle may be rolled up the wall hanger it is simply necessary to reverse the operation last described. The rear wheel is drawn away from the wall, which may be conveniently done by grasping the saddle of the cycle and guiding the cycle by the handlebar. The front wheel falls between the retaining-bars andthe cycle is at once upon the floor ready for use.

The hangers may be arranged in a railwaycar perpendicular to the side walls, and if necessary to secure sufficient passage-way between the rows'of hangers they may be set at an angle'to the wall instead of extending perpendicularly out from the same. 'The hangers are readily removable from the hooks p, by which they are supported, so that the car may be used as an ordinary freight-car.l

It is in many cases desirable not only to support the cycle, but also to lock it in the hanger,l and for this purpose I provide a locking device which comprises a strap of metal lo, hinged to the arm h at the point 7c and provided at its opposite end with an opening l, which registersI with an opening fm in a catch attached to the opposite holder-arm. Thewheel having been inserted in the holder in the usual way, the strap is swung around between the spokes of the wheel and an ordinary padlock (not shown in the drawings) is used to lock the strap to the catch by pass ing the bail of the lock through the openings The various parts of my improved cyclehanger may be made of either wood or metal.

The device is simple in construction and forms a convenient and reliable means of supporting cycles in transit and when stored or temporarily out of use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1'. The combination, with upper and lower hooks applied to the wall of a car or other support of a cycle-hanger supported in upright position on and removable from said hooks, said hanger consisting of upright retaining-bars adapted to receive portions of the cycle', brackets extending from said bars r and engaging said hooks, and a holder pivoted to one of said 'brackets and adapted to receive a wheel of the cycle, substantially as 1 set forth.

2. A cycle-hanger, consisting of-upright retaining-bars adapted to receive portions of 'the cycle, a bracket extending from said bars, 1 a holder attached to said bracket and adapted to receive a wheel ofthe cycle, and a strap 1, hinged to one arm of said holder at the outer end of the same and abutting against the opposite arm of the holder, and adapted to receive the rim of the wheel inserted in the holder, and means for locking said strap to said opposite arm of the holder, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

f EDUARD GRADLMILLER.

Vitnesses:

HENRY G. CARPENTER, WILHELM C. BERGER. 

